Indianphilosophy.

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The Gandhian - Terms and Meanings

Advaita Hindu philosophy of Monism or Non-
dualism
Agiari Zoroastrian fire-temple
Ahimsa Non-violence; in its positive aspect-
love for all living things.
Allah Muslim name of God
Amanitvam humility
Aparigraha non-possession
Ardhangini woman; the 'better half'.
Ashram abode of spiritual teacher; place for
disciplined community living; stage of
life.
Asoka Indian monarch of 3rd century B.C.
famed for his renunciation of empire
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and conquest and for his rock-edicts
embodying Buddhist dharma.
Atishudra One lower than the shudra, the fourth
caste at the bottom of Hindu social
hierarchy; 'untouchable'
Atman Soul
Avatar Literally, a 'descent'; incarnation of a
deity, especially of Vishnu in the Hindu
Trinity.
Bansi Bamboo flute as of the divine
cowherd, Sri Krishna.
Bardoli Gujarat village, connected with the
Civil Disobedience Movement
Bhagwadgita (see 'The Gita')
Bhakti Devotion.
Bhangi Scavenger; sweeper.
Bharat Mata Mother India.
Bibhishan Brother of Ravana, in the Ramayana,
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known for his wise counsel.
Bhogabhumi Land of enjoyment
Brahma Hindu name of God the Creator, one
of the Trinity.
Brahmachari A celibate; one who observes
Brahmacharya.
Brahmacharya Celibacy; code of conduct involving
strict observance of chastity or
continence in the pursuit of learning,
philosophy and God.
Brahman,
Brahmin
Member of the first of the four castes,
whose chief duty is the study and
teaching of the Vedas and the
performance of sacrifices and other
religious rituals.
Buddha founder of Buddhism, about 563, d.
about 483 B. C.; also known as
Gautama, Siddhartha, Sakyamuni, etc.
Chaitanya Bengali religious reformer of the 15th
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century A.D. who is worshipped by his
followers as an incarnation of
SriKrishna.
Chakki Grinding wheel or mill.
Chapati Thin flat cakes made of flour;
unleavened bread.
Charkha Spinning-wheel.
Dandi March March undertaken by Gandhiji from
March 12 to April 5, 1930, from his
Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal
village of Dandi, about 100 miles
distant, with a view to breaking the
Salt Law by picking up natural salt
from the sea-shore. His arrest at Dandi
was followed by a country-wide
movement of Civil Disobedience
famous as the Salt Satyagraha
Damayanti Princess of Vidarbha and wife of
Prince Nala of Naishadha, the
constancy of whose devotion to each
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other forms the theme of a well-
known episode in the Puranas.
Daridranarayana God in the form of the poor and the
destitute.
Dasharatha King of Ayodhya, father of Rama, in
the Ramayana.
Dayanand Swami Dayanand Saraswati(1824-83),
founder of the Arya Samaj.
Dharma Religion; law of one's being;
righteousness; Hindu code of religion
and morals or religious and moral
duty.
Dharmaja One born from a sense of duty.
Dharmayuddha War fought for a righteous end by
righteous means and methods.
Dheds a community in Gujarat traditionally
treated as 'untouchable'.
Dhurna 'sit-down' strike; an early and crude
form of Satyagraha.
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Dnyandev Boy poet-saint of Maharashtra of the
13th century A.D., author of
Dnyaneshwari, a Marathi commentary
on the Gita; also spelt as Dnyaneshwar
or Jnaneshwar.
Draupadi Consort of the Pandava Princes, in the
Mahabharata.
Dublas a backward shudra community of
Gujarat
Duryodhana Head of the Kaurava Princes, in the
Mahabharata.
Dyer British General who fired on an
unarmed assembly in Jallianwala
Bagh, Amritsar, on April 13, 1919,
killing over 400people.
Ganga, the Sacred river Ganges of Northern India.
Ganja Narcotic from the flower of Indian
hemp.
Ghani Village oil mill.
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Gita, the The 'Song Celestial'; a Hindu scriptural
work in Sanskrit verse, composed
some centuries before the Christian
era, in which Sri Krishna sums up the
essence of Hindu religion and
philosophy.
Ghee clarified butter.
Go hale Goal Krishna Gokhale(1866-1915),
Indian politician, member of the
Viceroy's Legislative Council and
founder of the Servants of India
Society, whom Gandhiji acknowledged
as his political guru.
Goonda A rowdy or hooligan.
Goondaism Rowdyism
Gopal Cowherd; a name of SriKrishna.
Gur Jaggery, indigenous form of sugar
molasses
Guru Teacher; preceptor.
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Goseva Service of the cattle;cow-protection..
Gram Panchayat village tribune or 'council of five'.
Gramseva village service.
Gram sevak person employed in village service.
Hakim Practitioner of indigenous form of
medicine.
Hanuman The 'Monkey-God' who serves Rama
in the Ramayana.
Hartal Strike, suspension of normal business.
Hooghli Westernmost branch of the River
Ganges on the banks of which Calcutta
is situated.
Ishopanishad One of the major Upanishads.
Jainism Ancient Indian religion, one of the
cardinal principles of which is non-
violence.
Jains Followers of Jainism.
Janak Philosopher-king of Videha, foster-
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father of Sita, in the Ramayana.
Kabir Poet-saint of northern India, who
lived in the 15th century A.D. and
who, in his devotional songs, dwelt on
the essential oneness of the Godhead
and the harmony between Hinduism
and Islam.
Kamaja One born of lust.
Karmabhumi Land of duty.
Karmayogi One who has devoted his life to action
in the selfless service of others.
Khaddar, Khadi Hand-spun and hand-woven cloth .
Kisan Peasant.
Koran Muslim scripture.
Krishna Divine hero and central figure of the
epic, Mahabharata, who is
worshipped by the Hindus as the 8th
incarnation of God.
Kshatriya Member of the second (warrior) caste
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among Hindus.
Lila, leela Divine play or sport; the creation is
often explained by the Vaishnavas as
the leela of God, a conception that
introduces elements of spontaneity
and freedom into the universe.
Lok Sevak Sangh Society or association for the service
of the people.
Mahabharata,
the
Hindu epic having for its theme the
story of the great war between the
Pandavas and the Kauravas, princes of
the Lunar race who were cousins, rival
claimants to the throne of Hastinapur,
(ancient Delhi).
Mhatma Great Soul, title given to Gandhiji.
Mahavir Vardhamana.24th Tirthankar or
Prophet of Jainism (b. about 540, d.
about 468 B.C.) who is popularly
regarded as its greatest promulgator,
originally named
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Mhayajna The great sacrifice or ritual of
propitiation.
mantra,
Mantram
Sacred or magical incantation.
Manushya Man.
Maya Illusion; in Hindu philosophy Maya is
the divine power which has created
the cosmos.
Moksha Liberation from earthly bondage.
Muni Sage; ancient seer.
Nai Talim Literally, 'new education', name given
to basic or craft education.
Namaz Form of Muslim prayer, worship.
Nanak Fonder of Sikhism (b.1469-d.1538 or
1539 A.D.)
Nirvana Salvation, Buddhist equivalent of
Moksa
Pancha, the five ; the communal tribune or
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Panchayat council of five
Panchayat Raj rule of the Panchayat
Pandavas the five brothers, prices of the Lunar
Race, who were the victor in the
Maharashtra war
Pinjrapoles Institutions for looking after old and
disabled cattle
Poorna Swaraj Full self-government or complete
independence
Prahlad Son of Hiranyakashipu, a mythological
demon king; Prahlads worship of
Vishnu led to persecution by his father
who was ultimately slain by
Narasimha, the Man-Lion avatar of
Vishnu
Pritam Pritamdas, Gujarati poet of the 16
th

century A.D. who composed
numerous devotional songs
Raj Kingdom, rule, regime
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Rajachandra,
Raychandbhai
Jain saint and philosopher,
contemporary of Gandhiji, whom the
latter acknowledged as his spiritual
GURU. He died in 1900
Ram, Rama Hero of the epic, RAMAYANA, who is
regarded by Hindus as an ideal man
and king, and worshipped as the
7
th
incarnation of God
Ramakrishna Bengali saint (1836-86 A.D.) who was
the GURU of Swami Vivekananda and
who taught the oneness of the
Godhead and the basic harmony of all
religions. The Ramakrishna Mission is
named after him
Ramayana Literally, the name of Rama; recitation
of Gods names
Ramanuja Vaishnava scholar of the 12
th
century,
who propounded Dualistic philosophy
Ramarajya Hindu epic narrating the story of the
abduction of Sita, wife of Rama, prince
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of Ayodhya, by Ravana, demon-king of
Lanka (Ceylon), and her rescue after
the conquest of Lanka by the armies
led by Rama and the death of Ravana
at Ramas hands
Ramji Mandir Ramas temple
Ravana The demon-king of Lanka, whose
abduction of Sita, led to his
destruction at Ramas hands, in the
Ramayana
Sadavrat Charity
Sahadharmin Wife
Samagra
Gramseva
All-round village service
Samskaras Innate tendencies inherited from past
life, religious customs
Sanatanist Faithful follower of ancient Vedic
religion
Sannyas abandonment of all worldly ties with a
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view to fixing the mind on the
Supreme Being
Sannyasi One who has taken to SANYAS
Sarvodaya Welfare of all
Satvika Tending to truth
Satya Truth
Satyagraha Recourse to truth-force or soul-force
Satygrahi One who practices Satyagraha
Savitri Wife of Satyavan who according to
legend, reclaimed his life from the
God of Death
Shankara Hindu philosopher of the 8
th
century
A.D. who was one of the foremost
exponents of Non-dualism of the
Vedanta school of philosophy
Shastras The Hindu scriptures
Shloka Metrical verse or composition
Shudra Member of the fourth or menial caste
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among Hindus
Sita Wife of Rama
Smritis The Codes, based on recollection of
the Shastras
Sthitaprajna Literally, one of steadfast mind ; a
soul unaffected by extremes of joy
and sorrow
Sudama the indigent boyhood friend and
associate of Shri Krishna, whom the
latter hours, in the BHAGAVATA
Surdas Blind Hindi poet of northern India who
lived in the 16
th
century A.D. ; his
poetical work , Sursagar, narrating the
story of Krishna, is immensely popular
with Hindi-speaking Hindus
Swadeshi Belonging to or made in one's own
country
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Swargarohan
Parva
The name of the last of the eighteen
sections of the epic MAHABHARATA
which describes how, when
Yudhisthira, the eldest of the five
Pandava brothers, retired to the
Himalayas, towards the close of his
life, and lost his wife and four brothers
one after another, Indra appeared in
his chariot to take him in the flesh to
his (Indras) SWARGA, i.e, his heaven
where mortals after death enjoy the
results of their good deeds on earth,
Tadgud Jaggery prepared from the juice of
palmyra fruit
Tapascharya Penance
Tilaks Caste-marks on the forehead
Tukaram Poet-saint of Maharashtra who lived
in the 17
th
century A. D. and who
composed thousands of devotional
songs
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Tulsidas Hindi poet of northern India who lived
in the 16
th
century A.D. and who
composed, among other works,
Ramacharitamanasa, (lit. The Holy
Pool of the Life of Rama), retelling the
epic story of the exploits of Rama. This
work is held in the highest veneration
by all Hindi-speaking Hindus
Upanishads Ancient Hindu philosophical treatises,
appended to the Vedas and regarded
as equally authoritative as the Vedas
Vaidas practitioner of Ayurveda system of
indigenous medicine
Vaishyas Members of the third (cultivator and
mercantile) class among Hindus
Valmiki First of Sanskrit poets and author of
the Hindu epic, RAMAYANA
Varna Colour ; one of the four divisions of
Hindu society (i.e., Brahman,
Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra) based
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on hereditary occupations
Varnashrama Four-fold division of Hindu society
Vedanta A system of philosophy springing from
the Upanishads
Vedas Most ancient Hindu scriptures,
composed of hymns to various deities.
There are four collections of these
hymns, known as Rigveda, Samaveda,
Yajurveda and Atharvaveda
Vidura The low-born but wise one in the
MAHABHARATA honoured by Sri
Krishna
Yajna Ritual or religious sacrifice
Yoga Hindu system of contemplation for
effecting union of the human soul
with the Supreme Being
Yogi One who practises yoga
Yudhishthira Eldest of the Pandava Princes,
celebrated for his right conduct
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Zamindar Land holder
Zend Avesta Zoroastrian scriptures
Zoroaster Founder of religious system known as
Zoroastrianism. He is also known as
Zarathustra or Zerdusht. The Parsis of
India, who are migrants from Persia,
are followers of this prophet